Old Things New

TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful

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How I Started Blogging & What I’ve Learned

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“I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do with your lives,” said a friend to me one day.

Are you kidding me? Our lives? My husband and I were in the midst of our season of Great Pain, and it was just the beginning of a long process of restoration. I couldn’t possibly see ahead to the day when God might be able to use us for anything good.

Words are powerful though, and the respect I had for this dear friend of mine made me want to live up to her expectations. Her words helped me in my battle through the pain to the healing waiting on the other side.

This blog, Old Things New, began as a result of that healing.

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My Story & The Risk of Authenticity

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My word for the year 2014 is “AUTHENTICITY”. The word came to me a couple of months ago and I said out loud, “What? How can I be more authentic?” You see, I stand up in front of people every week and tell my story, and much of it isn’t very pretty. Mr. OTN and I are Directors of a 9 month long class called Freedom Session. Part of the teaching that we do is authentically sharing our own messy stories so that others can find hope and freedom.

“What can I do to be more authentic?,” I ask myself.

“You can take a risk. You can tell those who have never heard your story what is really behind that smiling face and the funny things you do to make others laugh. Maybe they will relate to you more . . . or maybe they will decide they don’t like you at all. “

That is the risk of authenticity.

As part of my new blog design I’ve added an About Page with a short video of Mr. OTN and myself sharing a very small part of Our Story. I’ve added Our Story because it is what motivates so much of what we do in life. Our pain, turned to victory and joy is what drives us to share with others that there is HOPE. As our participants come along on the Freedom Session journey with us we even offer to let them borrow our hope for awhile until they can find their own.

Are you curious now? Click HERE for more, but don’t forget to come back when you’re done!

So that’s it. Our Story on video may seem to be more about my husband’s journey, with me tagging along, than my own personal story. But believe me when I say that my journey also has its ups and downs. I’ve lived so much of my life trying to live up to some ideal that wasn’t possible to achieve. My life is NOT perfect. I am NOT perfect. Thank God I no longer have to strive for perfection to prove my worth . . . for it is by grace that I have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Thank you for watching My Story. I hope it will help you see why I have such a love for making OldThingsNew, whether that be transforming old items from broken to beautiful or helping people on the journey toward freedom where they can live life to the fullest.

Blessings to you,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper,LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SuburbsMama,
NiftyThriftyThings
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
IHeartNapTime, WeCallItJunkin’,
Saturday:

Guest Cottage Before & After

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I shared a few before and after photos of the little guest cottage that sits on our property when I did a post about myself and why I began blogging. If you‘re interested in reading that post (it is pretty amusing) you can link back right HERE!
Today I’m just focusing on the cottage remodel. What it looked like before, a few of the snags we ran into during and the end result. Note: When I say end result I don’t ever really mean it because every time I walk into our cottage I see more things I’d like to do, especially since I‘ve become hooked on blogging and found so many of you great bloggers who’ve inspired me with a plethora of new ideas!
So I’ll start off by saying,
Come on in!!!
I want to begin with a couple of “afters” because the “befores” are so amazingly ugly that I’m afraid I’ll lose you along the way!
Here she is, our sweet little guest cottage.
This cottage was built in the 1940’s as a fishing cabin and has had two additions (by previous owners) over the years, bringing her to a grand size of approximately 400 square feet!

This first “before” is actually not so bad because new white cabinets were added not too long before we bought the place. We were able to reuse the cabinets, but first we had to take them down and remove the funky square wood pieces that were secured in place with about a gazillion hard-to-remove nails. You’ll get a better view of that later. They made the whole place incredibly dark inside. Ugh!
The ceiling over the original portion of the cottage is beadboard, which I love, so we were able to keep that as well and lighten it up with paint.
So, here it is with the cabinets taken down and the square panels removed. I sort of liked the horizontal beadboard on the walls and would have tried to paint over it but it was installed so haphazardly (by another DIY-er) that it wasn’t really an option.
When we started getting inside the walls we found two things: Carpenter ants (out came the exterminator that very day!) and some really scary wiring. There were even areas with burn marks on the insulation. My husband, Dr. Professor, began reading electrician’s manuals trying to figure out how to rewire it himself. Thankfully we have friends that care about us enough that they led us to a good electrician who was nice enough to allow my hubby to work side-by-side with him, so he could learn all about it (learning new things is my hubby’s hobby).
The ceilings in the first and second additions to the cottage were done with acoustical tiles. I would’ve loved to have added beadboard here but it wasn’t within our budget (especially after the electrician’s fees). A fresh coat of paint over the stained yellow tiles is already making a big difference in the picture below.
Here we have the living room area where you can better see the wood squares. If you look over to the far left you can see where I actually took some blue paint to see how it would look if I just painted over them. It was a no-go! They were so warped and buckled that it would’ve looked just horrible.
So off they came revealing more poorly done paneling which we ended up covering with beadboard panels.
Here is a view of the bathroom before. The walls were sponge painted over paneling by the previous owner. In this picture I’ve begun filling gaps between the panels with wood putty, and texturing the upper half of the walls for painting. The bottom half will have beadboard panels.
We were able to salvage the newer cabinet below, just replacing the top and the faucet.
Another close-up of the square panels, taken in the tiny bedroom, in hopes that you’ll get the full effect. Just looking at it I can begin to smell the fragrance of burn coming from behind the walls! Can’t you?
New insulation going in. I really enjoyed that part of the job as things began to look cleaner!
This was a funny little nothing area off the bedroom. We decided to turn it into a closet/dressing area.
So, enough of the “befores”. I’m excited to show you how we were able to turn this OLD cottage into something NEW and I’m kinda proud to tell you that most of the hours put into it were MY hours. Hubby worked on it when he wasn’t working his real job and we had a few things done by a good friend and handyman. This was the first big DIY project I’ve ever done and it was extremely rewarding/hard/fun/exasperating.
Below is tiny peak at the kitchen with new hardware on the cabinets, new black laminate countertops and a faux tin tile backsplash.
We put up sheetrock in the kitchen and I painted it a cheery yellow (hubby’s idea). The ceiling and trim are painted in a soft gray color.
The not-so-old oven was still in good condition and ties in with the white cabinets, so we avoided spending money there, but the old black refrigerator (a cast-off from our main house) was gigantic. We replaced it with an apartment sized stainless steel fridge (on sale!).
The beam between the original cottage and the first addition was covered in, what else, but funky square panels. We covered it with some beautiful rough boards and left the color natural . . .
. . . to tie in with the new laminate flooring.
Here are a couple views of the living room with the beadboard panels we installed.
You can see the contrast more clearly here between the white walls and the gray trim and ceiling. I saw this color combination used in a coastal magazine and fell in love with it.
Next is the completed bathroom. It still has the big hot water heater in the corner but I‘ve attempted to hide it with some old shutters. The limestone counter top and faucet are new.
Almost everything that we bought new I found on sale. I love these mirrors that tilt so I was really happy when I came across this great buy.
Below is the tiny bedroom. I found an iron trundle bed on Craigslist so that this room can be used as a sitting area during the day and, when you pop up the trundle, a queen-sized bed by night.
There is a peek-a-boo view of the lake and Mount Rainier (on a rare clear day) from this room. Two windows make it nice and bright.
Here is the closet/dressing area which I’ve put some storage pieces in for clothes. It can be closed off to hide any messiness.
I’m going to zoom in a bit now to share some details with you. First off, every piece of furniture in the cottage was purchased used. This was a pine armoire I found on Craigslist. I painted it white with gray trim, added wood appliques and crystal knobs. It has an area to hang clothes in the top and drawers in the bottom.
I repainted some antique chairs and recovered the seats with new fabric.
All the rattan furniture is also from Craigslist. It was in really good condition so I left it natural for now and just recovered the cushions with Sunbrella fabric. I love how stain resistant this fabric is.
Before, the cottage had a big, dirty, ugly gas heater. I love this cast iron Lopi stove. It is both pretty and it heats the whole cottage.
I found this old iron bed that someone had made into a bench and made some bright pillows from beach towel fabric to use in the bedroom.

Hung above the bench is a painting that my mother-in-law did when she was just a teenager. She is 94 now! She told me I could repaint the frame. Are you kidding? I love it!
Oh no! I lied. This was one piece of furniture that I bought new at Idea. I painted it turquoise and added a bar towel to the end.
I simply couldn’t resist buying these fun shell hangers.

We used outdoor light fixtures from Hampton Bay on the inside of the cottage,
and similar light fixtures on the outside, except in black. Are you ready to see the outside sitting porch?
It’s a covered porch and it wraps around two sides of the cottage.
This is a really old dining set (above) that I spray painted. The seats I recovered with some of the same fabric I used on the interior furniture. I found the fun retro glider at Lowe’s (so inexpensive!) and I spray painted an old metal table that my daughter left behind when she fled the nest.
In the summer I hang these gauzy fabric panels around the porch. They can be closed for privacy while one takes a little nap.
This is the view of the lake looking between our main house and the neighbors trees.
It is such a peaceful place to just sit and relax.
The DIY work we did on our cottage isn’t perfect. It definitely has it’s rough spots (I call it quaintness), but we love having a guest cottage where our family and friends can stay when they come to town. We also rent it out on a short-term basis only. We’ve had military people stay while awaiting base housing, medical professionals doing rotations at local hospitals and clinics, ministry people who just need a place to get away. Occasionally I slip up there myself just to look around and enjoy the lakeside cottage ambiance. I love the feel so much that I’m beginning to pull together a few coastal touches for my own home that I’ll have on display for the summer season.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of Patti’s Lake Cottage. That is what I’m calling it for now until I come up with a name that feels just right. Ideas anyone?
Blessings,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties:
Sunday:
UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, TheTablescaper, IHeartNapTime, My1929Charmer, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NavyWifePetersUSSCrafty
AlderberryHill, SuburbsMama
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

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The Grow Your Blog Party!

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Today I’m joining up with the Grow Your Blog party hosted by Vicki over at 2BagsFull. Hundreds of bloggers will be posting who they are and why they started blogging. We will then have the opportunity to “visit” with and begin to build relationships with other bloggers like ourselves.
So here is my part. As my blog says, my name is Patricia Krank, but most people call me Patti. People that know me say that I am friendly, kind, a good listener and a compassionate person.

Some say that I am a bit mischievious but I think I just like to have fun!

Those that know me WELL say that I am funny, silly, a tad bit driven (as in always needing to be in the middle of a project) . . . and sometimes a little crazy!

(If that didn’t scare you away, then we’re good! Keep reading 🙂
I was born and raised in Washington State and currently live in a lakeside home just outside the state capitol of Olympia. Yes, it is a bit soggy here, but very green! We often dream of retiring to a warmer, drier climate, but when summer comes, and we get our pontoon boat back into the water, there is no better place to live.
I’m married to my best friend and partner in crime (I mean ministry), Kelly.
I have two beautiful daughters (Joy & Bethany) who live in opposite corners of the country - Buffalo, NY and Pasadena, CA (exotic aren’t they?)





. . . and these are a couple of guys I found to be their bodyguards (in reality, this is B’s boyfriend Dave & my son-in-law Andrew, but they look kinda tough in these cool(?) caps they found).



We also have three dogs, who are spoiled beyond belief!
So why did I start blogging? Two things: I’ve always felt compelled to write . . . AND . . . I’ve always loved decorating, crafting, DIY projects, or just about anything to make my home a more beautiful and comfortable place to live. You know the “nesting” urge that comes right before having a baby? That is me ALL the time! I never had time to pursue this passion to it’s fullest until retiring from a career in the dental profession. (Retired? - HA! I’m busier than ever!) The bug to begin blogging began in earnest with the remodel of our little lakeside cottage a couple of years ago. I’ll be doing a full post with before and after photos soon, but here a couple of before and after peeks:

Kitchen before . . .
and after.
Living Room before . . .

and after.
Since we were doing this remodel with limited cash (and ran into the need to re-wire the entire cottage = $$$) I was forced to furnish “on the cheap”. I found used furniture online, then stripped, sanded, painted, and recovered cushions. Here are a few pictures of my furniture re-do’s:
Before and after upholstered furnishings:

Before and after pine armoire:
(Oops! I had this project half painted before shooting any pics)


Before and after drop leaf table:

and chairs . . .

This was my first try at refinishing furniture and I was amazed at the joy this new hobby brought into my life! As I worked lovingly on each piece I saw OLD THINGS becoming NEW and my eyes were opened to the correlation to the ministry that my husband and I are involved with. Hence, an outlet for my drive to write and my drive to create came together in a blog called . . .

My goals through blogging are threefold: The first is to share with others how one can make a home of beauty even with limited resources. Most of the projects I do are with things I have on hand or find while out “thrifting”. I only pick solidly built furniture pieces that will last for years to come. I hope to inspire others to think twice before paying full price! My second goal is to build enough interest in my projects to eventually begin to sell them. I am thinking of doing my first French Flea Market next summer and I’d like to build a big enough “store” of goods to try selling on Etsy. I know I need to start pinning on Pinterest and building my Facebook page as well. Whew! There is so much more to this process than I ever imagined! Thirdly, I’d like to pass on a little hope to those who are having a hard time. The intention of my blog isn’t to be “preachy” but being Freedom Session Directors is a huge part of my husband’s and my lives. We regularly share our own experience of lives transformed by God, so some of that is bound to spill over into my writing from time to time.
I have a lot to learn as a novice blogger, especially since I’m technically challenged by virtue of age alone. It appears to me that I am older than most of the other bloggers I see out there of my genre. However, I inherited “Sisu” from my Finnish mom (loosely translated into English that is strength of will, determination & perseverance) and “stubborness” from my Irish dad . . . so I’m pushing on to learn the ins and outs of this crazy blogging world!
So . . . on to the GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY! I’m looking forward to the chance to explore other blogs and make new friends over the next couple of days 🙂
Blessings to you,
Patti

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